Fat people even more likely to be affected by COVID than previously thought

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UK government scientists are urgently investigating whether people living with obesity may be disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, after emerging data from intensive care units suggested a stronger link than previously thought.

New data from the UK’s Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, which has been presented to ministers and SAGE scientists, has found that the proportion of severely obese patients in ICUs is twice the proportion in the general population.

Ministers have become increasingly alarmed by data coming out of Britain’s intensive care units, with some members of the government suggesting obesity may end up being a factor in the UK’s higher death toll.

The UK is currently projected to have the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Europe. Around 1 in 4 UK adults are obese. In 2018, the WHO found that the UK had the third highest obesity rate in Europe, behind only Malta and Turkey.

More here:
www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alexwickham/uk-scientists-coronavirus-obesity-link

In the 60's eating between meals was a no-no, eating on the street was too. Eating out was something we as a family NEVER did, ready meals were rare (remember Vesta curries) and my mum would never buy something like that. Once a month or so we might get a take away fish and chips but two portions would be shared between the family and no fizzy drinks would be there - they would be a very, very occasional treat at Christmas or a birthday

So people basically ate less. Nothing really to do with carbs.

SophieB100 I am sorry that low carb didn't work for you, but kudos for you for trying it.

I am interested that you think some carbs are ok, you may be right. My hope is that in future we can all access a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) and wear it 24/7 to monitor exactly how foods affect our blood sugar.

At the moment Type1 diabetics tend to use them, sometimes Type 2's, but they are not available for the general public at the moment. Apple is in the process of making some sort of watch that will be able to monitor blood sugar like a CGM and if this comes onto the market I will probably like to try it out.

I was reading about a doctor who trialled a CGM and found, to his surprise, that a small portion of potatoes hardly spiked him but a small bowl of steel cut oats put his numbers through the roof for hours. Everyone is going to be affected differently.

The problem with spiking blood sugars is that when they start to reduce that is when the hunger feeling kicks in and the need to eat a snack surfaces. That's why the snack industry is so big. After your porridge or cereal, squeezed orange juice and banana you are in need of a snack mid morning. Fortunately I don't break my fast until lunchtime and choose something that doesn't spike my blood sugars so don't need to snack at all. Phew.

People ate less then yes. They also ate unprocessed foods. They relied on seasonal fruit and veg. They didn't snack, eat chocolate and sweets every day instead of now and then. They ate cake occasionally. Foods we now eat daily, were reserved for special treats. That's how it was. No ready meals, takeaways. And they moved a lot more!

@hamstersarse I think I have

They certain were not eating the excess calories they now eat. I think we can all agree on that. We had steak and veg and some (may be 2) potatoes and for breakfast often eggs and that kind of stuff. We did not eat between meals - we were not allowed at home. We didn't eat out.

People use in the old days to have a snack of cockles, mussels, that kind of thing, My mother lived in a mining village by the sea. Her granny kept a pig (for meat) and there was lots of fish, crabs wre a favourite, shrimps. We used to sit at the kitchen table in the 1960s picking out the flesh of crabs. We would have pigeon for special meals watching out for the shot in it.

If people on here find eating non processed carbs like potato in skins, sweet potato, etc makes them feel good and doesn't make them fat and eat lots of veg too that's great. The trouble is most people eat too much. Mind you my irish ancestors apparently in the 1800s ate 45 potatoes a day (and not much else). I suspect as there was not much else to eat they were not over weight then.

@GoldenKelpie, thank you. Atkins didn't work for me, because it was too high in saturated fat and protein. For me, it caused me digestive issues, etc. But, and here's the thing, I actually eat a relatively low carb diet now - I only eat unrefined carbs in small amounts - enough to fill me up, and enough to help my digestion. If I calculate my carb intake it is around 50g-75g a day. Slow release unrefined carbs work for me. Most of my carbs comes from a little fruit, mainly berries and lots of green veg. A high carb diet wouldn't work, and a really low carb diet doesn't either. So I've found a happy medium, if that makes sense.

Querlouse it is great that you don't need snacks between meals after eating toast etc. Not everyone is that fortunate.

Re people eating carbs in the 60's. Yes, but they also ate simply cooked meats, fish, cheese, eggs and these were cooked with lard and beef dripping, butter and cream. There was no ultra processed (sometimes diet/low fat/no fat) foods of the kind that we are encouraged to eat today and all day. Ultra processed low fat foods are deadly because (a) they are formulated to stimulate the appetite to want more (google bliss point) and they do not fill up whatsoever). Human body doesn't know how to deal with this stuff so this is why we have seen a slow but sure increase in metabolic diseases and obesity.

I’m reassured that low carb has worked for you in your 50s GoldenKelpie as we are lead to believe we must eat heart healthy (!) whole grains especially soya and do chronic cardio. I never thought I’d be under 10 stone in my 40s.
I didn’t know you can get a glucose monitor-I’m particularly affected by grains, less so potatoes. Oats are the absolute worse for me. Would be so interesting to monitor it.
I’ve often wondered if ethnicity affects tolerance of carbs. Most of my family is Irish-heritage and they have a high incidence of coeliac.
I don’t have an off button with starchy carbs really so I can’t really allow myself to have them

SophieB100 that's fantastic, so pleased you've found your balance.

Xenia, I agree. Like I've said previously, portion control is key. A dietician friend told me that you should use your hands to work out how much food to eat. Your hands, because they reflect your build. So, a clenched fist is your protein, the palm of one open hand is your carb, and both hands flat out together is your vegetable. I have followed this, and lost weight. No snacks in between. 3 meals a day. Never hungry. Drink lots of water too. That's essential.

Siameasy I don't think just anyone can access a CGM at the moment but hopefully in the future we can have them available for everyone. I would love to be able to just hire one for a month and experiment .

Soya is dreadul stuff unless it is fermented and so-called "heart healthy" whole grains (they are not) are also a waste of calories as far as I am concerned (former bread fiend). I won't even make the low carb versions of bread or desserts, just can't trust myself. There is nothing more pleasurable that not being bloated, that's for sure.

I do not believe everyone has a "crash" or gets "hangry" after eating carbs. It must be dependent on your metabolism or something.

Loads of people get fat because they eat habitually. Eating in front of the tv or computer so they don't really notice eating. Having to have a bar of chocolate or a huge pack of crisps in front of the telly in the evening having spent all day eating and snacking constantly. Not because they are controlled by big business ruining their blood sugar, but because we've been told its a treat, we deserve it, then it becomes a habit to be constantly eating.

I think most people without a gluten intolerance can eat a couple of slices of toast without bloating, crashing or piling on a stone. It's a perfectly normal breakfast to lots of average healthy people.

Mominatrix ......I am telling you that your attitude that you know better than people who have been studying this topic for decades is dangerous. The fact that you cannot see the nuances and only black and white demonstrate your ignorance......

It is precisely those same so-called experts who have been devising our dietary guidelines for the past 40/50 years that have led us painfully to today where we have huge increases in all metabolic diseases including obesity at every age and stage. Appalling!

The Eatwell Plate is a disgrace, actually. And when we look into the history of why and how it came about we learn that processed food industries hijacked the whole procedure and have their people influencing many dietary boards.

How did the low fat high carb dietary advice actually come about?

The McGovern Report was compiled after President Eisenhower had a heart attack. Here is a short film (2 minutes) which shows shockingly how low fat guidelines came into being. There was no evidence that animal fat was a danger. There still isn't.

I am so angry that this happened. It shaped my entire teen and adult life, causing untold anguish, pain and depression. for nothing. So, experts can do and do one, Mominatrix.

I’ve eaten at least half a baguette practically every day of my life and I’ve never weighed more than 8st.

I rarely eat sugar and eat loads of vegetables.

Different things work for different people.

HavartitoMeetYou yes my SIL is French and stick thin and eats bread every day! And drinks a glass of wine every night. She never ever snacks and thinks eating crisps between meals is digusting. She seems to eat pretty normally but not sugary things and drinks a lot of water.

Querlouse for myself, as a former obese person for 40 years, I was always hungry after eating low fat high carb (always dieting you see, because I hated being obese, hated living in public and wearing my fat like a literal shame suit. It was hell. 40 years of devastating hell.

I do hope you can be happy for me and people like me that I no longer live in hell and am never hungry and maintain a 100lb fat loss for four years now. I hope you can acknowledge that low carb is the answer for people like me and do not decry it like it is a 'fad' or whatever. It is a lifeline. It is hope.

@Mominatrix

You just put up insults. What is your issue with saying that refined carbohydrates cause health problems for the majority of people?
I’m genuinely interested in your lit review

I am genuinely glad you have found something that works for you.

We are all different, we all know what works for us, that's the key. Bodies react to sugar spikes, fats etc differently. There is no perfect plan, because we are not all made the same, so what worked for me, might not work for others, and so on. The crux of this issue is that we are aware of what we eat, and how important a healthy weight is. I would never tell anyone who wants to lose weight to do what I did, I would advise them to find the right diet, that is healthy and sustainable for them.

I am sick and tired of the diet industry though, peddling crap food and replacement 'snacks' as the way forward (I'm looking at you SW). They have a lot to answer for, regarding the health of a lot of people. I worked with a girl on SW, and the crap she ate was astounding. And she thought it was great, this 'diet' that allowed her to eat artificial sweeteners, processed foods and shite in unlimited quantities. And she loved it so much, she kept regaining the weight, and kept on returning. Why? Because she hadn't learnt the real lesson - she hadn't reduced the amount the ate and she had been told bugger all about nutrition. Rant over

Oh God SW and their quark. And the hideous sugar substitute chemicals which just fuel the addiction.

I’m fuming too GoldenKelpie, with the NHS actually. DD’s DGD is obese with T2. Low fat diet recommended of course. Avocados bad, margarine good. Diet fizzy drinks are brilliant! A tiny amount of weight loss (probably the equivalent of a large shit) is praised, he is pandered to and told he’s in good health (!). The bar is set so low. Only once, after a flirtation with sepsis, did a doctor tell him the truth. Once. Where is the real help for people???

Late to the thread, but interesting reading.
My DD's an ICU nurse. Yes, they noticed many weeks ago the obesity connection, as well as the higher number of males.
Also, she eats healthily, and is grateful for all the drop offs from local greengrocers, but they are inundated with pizza deliveries and a lot of cakes and biscuits from chains and the well meaning public. She really appreciates the gesture, they all do. She was telling me this after a shift whilst I was watching Dominoes ad, where they were telling us how proud they were delivering to the front line. And she'd just finished a shift working with patients suffering terribly from a virus of which obesity is a factor.

Fast food sells. Obesity kills. Oh, the irony.

Cary2012 Oh the irony indeed.

When will the NHS and the so-called health professionals responsible for our dietary guidelines finally accept the our love affair with processed foods which are designed with a bliss point to encourage us to purchase and eat over and over again, is over.

It takes brave people to stand up to the massive control that exists on committees not only in UK but worldwide, and point out the insanity of the lies that are continually trotted out....

"saturated fat is harmful" it is not and never has been and is found predominantly but not exclusively in animal products (also coconut oil). Additionally, margarine and industrial seed/veg oils are unhealthy and should not be consumed by humans. They are popular because they extend shelf life of processed products and are cheap. That's all. No nutrition.

"sugar is not addictive" yes it is, to many. Nothing illustrates this more than the aerial photo of a retail park car-park when the drive-thru Krispy Creme donut store reopened recently; the car queue went around and around the car park and was hours long.

"High cholesterol is harmful" No, its protective particularly for older people. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160627095006.htm
Low fat high carb diets are effective, it's just that people are stupid, lazy and don't try hard enough". No, they cause hunger, depression and lead to binge eating.

Enough ranting for tonight .

Yes, Cary. It is a shame so may people see pizza as good or real food. Also people are more tired and less happy and less able to function and even think straight as nurses or doctors if they are not feeding their body healthy foods.

My vegan son is pretty healthy and he and I debate how we eat until the cows come home but the bottom line is we both agree that a lot of free veg is great and whether I combine that with fish, eggs etc or he with beans is probably neither here nor there. The essence of what we both tried to do is have nutrient dense good normal natural food.

I’m emergency services and we got given a hamper. I had the luxury of being asked what I wanted! I jokingly asked for nuts and cured meat lol and they did appear!
The rest of the package was crisps biscuits etc etc my heart sank.
It was a kind gesture but none of us are in danger of going without food.